Sunday, April 26, 1998 Last modified at 2:49 a.m. on Sunday, April 26, 1998

Cook attacks new territory in `Toxin'

By DOUG HENSLEY

Avalanche-Journal

Microscopic enemies are nothing new to Robin Cook. They've often been at the heart of his medical thrillers.

"Outbreak" told the tale of fallout from an Ebola-like virus surfacing in America. "Contagion" gave us a look at the effects of a new and deadly strain of influenza.

However, "Toxin" (Putnam, $24.95), Cook's latest offering, provides the added element of a corporate conspiracy surrounding the nefarious bacteria E.coli, an often deadly agent that has been the center of a couple of meat recalls in the past few years.

In his 20th novel, the highly successful Cook turns the life of Dr. Kim Reggis, a gifted cardiac surgeon, upside down when the doctor's daughter, Becky, becomes ill after eating a tainted hamburger.

What results from this is a two-front war for Reggis: On the one hand, he grapples with the powerful beef industry and its questionable practices, and on the other he confronts the dilemma of managed health care as Becky descends into a struggle for her life.

A visit to the emergency room provides little comfort. Reggis receives no special privileges because he is a doctor, and Becky must wait and wait and wait until an ugly, embarrassing scene results.

Still, the girl fails to improve. At every turn, Reggis seems to be at odds with those trying to help the girl as there are a series of worries about the cost-efficiency of certain tests and procedures.

This should come as no surprise to loyal Cook readers. He's been writing about the evils of managed care for years, taking more and more serious swipes at every opportunity.

Attacking a major industry, though, is new territory. Through a series of secondary characters, Reggis learns that the American beef industry has problems it is either unwilling to admit or unwilling to change.

In an effort to take his mind off his daughter, Reggis decides to get to the bottom of what caused her illness in the first place. With the help of an idealistic USDA inspector, he begins a probe that reads like something straight out of the recent Oprah Winfrey trial in Amarillo.

As an aside, for those who are squeamish or for those who (like me) enjoy a good hamburger, be prepared. An incognito Reggis, with the help of his recently divorced wife, takes a job in the local slaughterhouse, and Cook spares no detail about what the process is like in the preparation of beef products.

In the end, Reggis finds what he is looking for, but convincing the media to expose the information presents yet another challenge.

Cook gives his readers what they're looking for - a 356-page ride full of twists and turns with characters painted in stark shades of black or white. There are no gray areas. Either someone is working for the greater good of society or they are trying their best to make sure no one discovers anything they don't need to know.

"Toxin" won't be confused with Cook's best work. It is preachy at times, heavy-handed at others. But it contains positive Cook trademarks, as well: brisk plotting and neat packaging.